Every summer we watch in grim fascination as wildfires burn across the western United States. This summer has turned out to be as bad as any other. Fires in Colorado and other states have consumed both wilderness and homes with equal ferocity. You may be wondering, “What would I do if I lost my house to a fire? Would I be prepared?”

Others have said it before, and I’ll say it again: When disaster strikes, the time to prepare is past. The best way to recover from a home fire is to prepare for a home fire in advance. Along with security considerations, there are some legal aspects to consider. Consider including the following in your preparations:

– Maintain adequate fire hazard insurance on your home and belongings and meet at least once a year with your insurance agent to ensure all coverage limits are adequate to provide significant protection in the event your home should be replaced or repaired. You should get a replacement cost estimate for your home from a licensed appraiser or contractor and make sure your policy covers 100 percent of the estimated replacement cost. Recognize that replacement cost is not the same as current fair market value, purchase price, or outstanding balance on your mortgage. Check with your attorney or insurance agent if you need help understanding your policy coverage.

– Meet with your attorney regularly to make sure your estate planning documents are up to date. Your family’s wills, trusts, powers of attorney, living trusts, or medical directives can become critical after a fire.

– Identify important family items such as identification documents, estate planning documents, insurance documents, official certificates, original deeds and titles, family heirlooms, family photos, journals and scrapbooks. Make a plan to protect these items in the event of a disaster, by using a safety deposit box, fireproof safe, outside storage, etc. Prioritize what limited items will go with you in the event of an evacuation. Often your attorney may be willing to store copies of important documents or small items for you.

– Consider using an online cloud storage service like Dropbox or Evernote to store scans of key legal documents or documents and copies of important electronic files. Consider using an online backup service like Mozy or CrashPlan to preserve important content on your computer’s hard drives.

– Document all valuables with photos and video. Keep all serial numbers in a safe place and tell your insurance agent so they can be added to your homeowners policy.

Even if you are fully prepared for a fire, such a loss can be devastating. What do you do after your house has burned down? You can avoid further legal trouble or loss by considering the following immediately afterward:

– Make arrangements to ensure your family’s immediate needs for housing, food, clothing, medicine, and other essentials are met. Possible sources of support include family and friends, your local church, the Red Cross, and the Salvation Army. In the case of large-scale evacuations, public officials can tell you about specific emergency resources provided by public agencies or charities.

– Contact your agent or insurance company and report the claim. You should also contact at least the following to report the fire, as applicable: your mortgage company, your employer, your child’s school, the post office, and utility companies. Contact your attorney if you need to replace important documents in your files, if you have any difficulty getting your insurer to respond to your claim, or if you have any other legal issues.

– Follow the instructions of local public safety officials regarding the location of the fire. Do not re-enter your home or turn utilities back on without instructions from public safety officials. If you were evacuated, do not return until the appropriate officials give you permission to do so.

– Do all you can to safely secure the site before leaving it unattended, including boarding up broken windows and closing doors and gates where possible. “No Trespassing” signage or similar is also recommended. Notify local police if you must leave the site unattended.

– As soon as you can do so safely, try to locate and secure any essential documents or property that may have survived the fire, such as in a fireproof safe.

– Keep all receipts for any money you spend. Receipts provide documentation of your losses for both your insurer and the IRS.

– Do not throw away the damaged property until it has been duly inventoried for the purposes of documenting your loss. Before purchasing any disaster recovery services, contact your insurer first to make sure you meet all the requirements for your policy to cover such costs. Document the time you and your family members spent on recovery and inventory efforts; much of your time may also be compensable at the rates agreed upon with your insurer.

Losing your home is a devastating event, but if you prepare ahead of time and make the right decisions afterwards, you and your family can recover. You can find additional information and tips on preparing for and recovering from a home fire at http://www.redcross.org, http://www.usfa.fema.gov, and other resources.